midnight had crawled
out of his head leaving the
early hours to do their work,
fingers manipulate
keyboard screen aglow
in transcript of the mind,
his patience a short tether
to the excitement of creation,
as if dawn light brought revelation
a first fledged sun of
the day,
radiated warmth
mist lifting,
stimulants left aside
progressing in a way he knew best,
hunching slightly,
a splinter of memory
curdled color at the corner
of his eye,
tear appeared,
but only of tiredness,
not happiness
love remorse or regret
compacting much of the mind
this way and ball it up
upon a printed page
gave it a name,
then abandon it
let it become a piece thrown aside,
to be read again one
future day,
at completion a certain smile
pleasure heightened
few could ever see,
it was written
it was done,
exhale pull away
tremors in the arms
till the next moment.
Brilliant!
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Clawfish … great name! First I have to say I never feel this way, then again I am not really sure why I write. I think what I like most about this is that I can actually feel how you feel in this poem. I like its tightness … its control. Well, I like your sense of control.
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“ball it up / upon a printed page / gave it a name, / then abandon it / let it become a piece thrown aside.” This seems so sad.
The past two months I’ve been exploring piece long ago thrown aside. They bring smiles upon occasion, but sometimes not so much..
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i do believe in returning to some pieces that have been put in boxes have emerged again different or as stories , thanks for dropping by
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The creative process with an element of persistence and strange peace. Love the way that you’ve mapped it out for us. I like the presence of light and warmth in this piece.
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We can all relate to this…nice write 🙂
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Intense, deliberate, clearly describes the process of writing and all of its attendant details. Made me sit back slowly and release my breath when I finished. You are definitely a writer. Thanks for the follow and will be looking for more,
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/
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A great piece of writing, which of course strikes a chord of familiarity. The struggle with words and the suspension for another time.
Eileen
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This “feels” so familiar: the agony and ectascy of the creative process.
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And thank you too, for your interest in what I do…
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Nice, love the shakey ending. I feel it. I’m a shakey girl.
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great to go back to this one and i think it first well with the impressionist prompt….and reading your earlier response to me i agree that it is a family…smiles.
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The pain and joy of writing as it happens
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Chris, thank you for following catnipoflife. Our writing styles are very different but each carries a distinct message. I especially like this poem for its visionary clarity. Like so many others who have commented, the opening line is brilliant!
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From Japan. Thank you for visiting and following my blog.
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Great comment on the work of poets, of writers in general. My God, Chris, I have scraps of paper, cocktail napkins, even a piece of old shoe leather (don’t ask) with parts of poems written on them. It’s all in a box and I pull things out at random to see if they will spark.
The splinter of memory, causing the tear (for whatever reason), it’s like you are bleeding a bit for the sake of the whole process. Strong, yet vulnerable… crunchy outside, chewy center. Thanks so much! Amy
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i agree with this comment. this whole list of thing, all in a box. that’s the sense i get also!! sometimes, i feel like i see the world the way Amy does.
foam
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Be afraid, Tammy!!! ha ha Thank you, really. Love, Amy
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This captures the moment of creative pleasure so well, its struggle with mind and body awake to things that they might or might not wish to acknowledge. In that crux, indeed, we see self being pulled together, making one for that fleeting second of inspiration what might ultimately be chaos.
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I like the excitement of creation ~ Still an excellent share ~
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Loved this even more on second read…this time thinking..do we ever shelve it..well someday but there are some we just love to tinker with! Great work.
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Thank you Gay appreciated
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“at completion a certain smile / pleasure heightened /few could ever see” — I’ve recently rediscovered this high; it really is amazing how the mind can get so trapped. Very nicely expressed.
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I agree with Claudia, this is visceral, known.
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thank you for being a part of what we are doing at dverse…you are appreciated…
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sorry that was lame, i was under a time crunch earlier…i must say you might be the most twittering dverse poet…love seeing your stream fill up on tuesday and wednesday…thank you for that…you are incredible sir…
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thanks Brian i enjoy getting my own work there but also the work of others in poetry we are a family
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midnight had crawled
out of his head leaving the
early hours to do their work
I love this bit here. Have you considered taking a closer look at the spacing between your lines? Blocking things into stanzas forces me to consider my words and their flow more carefully.
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Thank you i will have to look a again, and thanks for dropping by
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Stones thrown, words flung, crows like characters darken the screen; we write, we worry a word, cut and paste a phrase back and forth, we contemplate the end that was the start of it all anyway, and at last, smug, we finish (for a while) promising to come back to edit. Yes, the whole act is here, spread out upon a screen for all of us to read. Brilliant!
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captures the night/morning edge of writing
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Fantastic poetry! Will need to return here for more 🙂
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I love the flow of energy, the process felt in every line and meaning.
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yeah, opening had me as well. flowed well throughout. Many sleepless nights trying to get it out of my head.
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can feel the creative process at work
really like,
“a splinter of memory
curdled color at the corner
of his eye”
and i imagined “curdled” as an adjective and as a verb, nuancing it even more for me 😉
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How well the progress is accounted for here. The impression someone is quietly working on to something is evident here! Wonderful take
Hank
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great opening line….and i like that acknowledgement at the end as well that few may never see it, but in the next moment he will be back again….
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It can be quite a cathartic moment, can’t it?!
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How well you captured the process….the excitement and pull….there are some I have written which too haven’t seen the light the day…but there is always joy at doing it ~
http://a-sweetlust.blogspot.ca/2012/07/like-river.html
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I can so picture this. The writer huddled up in the semi darkness, most light coming from the computer screen and the writer’s almost obsession of needing to write, anything, just because he has such a huge need to. You painted such a vivid picture here. Very nice write.
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yes the opening is so good……enjoyed…
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Great, I’m trembling! The opening was very good – ‘midnight had crawled
out of his head…’ whoopie!
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You wore me out– 🙂 incisive X-ray of the process
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midnight had crawled out of his head…a very zoomed in look into the creating process..the joy and pain..a felt piece…
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enjoyed the re-read… think many of us can relate to this
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Thank you Claudia the whole process of writing for me is energetic i immerse myself.
Hope all is good with you have a great day
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